GRANITE CITY BREWERY

Granite City, a Midwest Restaurant chain operating 34 restaurants in 14 states wanted to get more out of their indoor patio seating area at their St. Cloud, Minnesota location. Working in collaboration with Hufcor’s engineers, Granite City is now able to offer more private meeting spaces to customers and drive additional revenue through a new, flexible seating area featuring Hufcor Operable Walls and Unispan® Support System.

Case Study Details

Case Study Name

Granite City Brewery

Location

St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA

Products Used

Unispan® Support
Hufcor 600 Series

CHALLENGE

As Granite City’s first location, their St. Cloud, Minnesota restaurant opened in 1999 and today is a popular dining destination in the local community. In recent years, the restaurant began to see an increase in demand for their private event and catering services but lacked the space to accommodate multiple parties and groups of varying size.

Not wanting to relocate the restaurant or complete a serious renovation which could stall business, Granite City sought a solution that would enable them to maximize opportunities using their existing space. Granite City needed a flexible space partner who could not only retrofit operable partitions into a space that was not originally built to support heavy panels, but also offer a wide range of custom finishes and design options so the new panels would tie seamlessly into the sun-washed and wood decor of their space.


SOLUTION

Working closely with Granite City and the design/build contractor, Boser Construction, Hufcor creatively designed an operable partition that could divide the indoor patio seating area for Granite City Brewery. Featuring Hufcor’s 600 Series operable partitions, the panels were designed with faux wood RG Designer Series facing and custom window inserts. The panels’ rotogravure faux wood painted surface provided a durable, washable finish ensured the beauty of the walls could be maintained easily for years to come.

With the new panels designed, concerns about losing natural light in the main atrium when the panels were closed for an event were also raised. Boser installed a glass storefront plenum to allow the light from above the partitions to still flow into the atrium. With new panels and a window system planned for the space, the need for added structural support became critical. Using Hufcor’s patented Unispan® overhead support system, both solutions were made possible. Hufcor’s engineers worked with Boser to ensure the Unispan® support system was designed to hold the weight of not only the new operable panels but also their windowing system as well.


RESULT

Since installing the system, Hufcor’s creative solution has helped the restaurant attract more small gatherings to the restaurant and grow their private party and on-site catering business. Through the custom design capabilities and innovative support options offered by Hufcor, Granite City has been able to realize new opportunities and reshape the way they serve customers in their space.

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